About the Water Research Network Baden-Württemberg

Being the base of all life on earth, water is widely considered as the most important raw material of the 21st century.

The availability of water and the way it is used will be of vital importance to the further development of many countries, especially in view of the global change. For this reason, water is also a resource with a high conflict potential. These global framework conditions generate enormous challenges when it comes to bridging the ever-increasing gap between the available water resources and the continuously growing water demand.

Not least, water is an environmental issue. When viewing this topic from the perspective of the Land of Baden-Württemberg alone, a number of environmental problems reflect the complex and tense relationship between the use of water on the one side and its protection on the other side. This often results in water use conflicts, such as between agriculture and drinking water supply, regional development planning and flood control or supply of energy and water protection.

Water research can provide valuable contributions to the solution of many of these problems. Due to their complexity, these problem areas require a high degree of interdisciplinary cooperation. When implementing solution approaches, a transdisciplinary integration bridging science, economy, politics, and society is necessary.

The scope of the Water Research Network is thus to enhance the collaboration across disciplines and locations in Baden-Württemberg in order to meet the future challenges of water research.